People

adriene jordan

Articles

Notable Washingtonians stand up against violence towards women and children.

By Ursula Lauriston

An Assistant U.S. Attorney, the President of the National Organization for Women (N.O.W.), a Medical School Dean and the Executive Director of the National Building Museum are just a handful of notable Washingtonians contributing to the production of V-Day DC “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer.” The pieces expose and examine the insidiousness of violence towards women at all levels: brutality, neglect, a punch, even a put-down.

This groundbreaking collection of monologues includes contributions by world-renowned writers like Maya Angelou, Carol Gilligan and Michael Eric Dyson. Twenty Something caught up with two performers to find out what V-Day means to them:

Chase Rynd

Meet Chase W. Rynd, Executive Director of the National Building Museum and DC enthusiast for seven and a half years:

“I tend to be very supportive of civil rights, health and all good things. Certainly I was aware that women around the world are being victimized, but once I started rehearsing I understood the depth and harsh realities these women face. The stories are compelling and horrifying but we also see their indomitable human spirit and how strong we really are as a people. There’s hope out of this.”

Meet Terry O’Neill, president of N.O.W. (The National Organization for Women)

“This production is extremely empowering because it signals to women everywhere that you are not alone; that you are a much more complicated person than a particular violence you may have experienced; and that we are powerful and successful when we work together to stop the violence.”

From left to right: Bonnie Grabenhofer, Erin Matson, and Terry O'Neill

Ursula Lauriston is the author of Twenty Something, a social diary blog where she sounds off weekly on dating, D.C nightlife and events, career etiquette, and more. During the day, Ursula stays in step with the pulse of DC with her work as a Deputy Press Secretary on Capitol Hill. Follow me on Twitter.